Sweet tooth-Woosan

Part 12

Chapter 12

As time passed, Wooyoung and his mother began to lose hope. His mother stayed at the hospital, hardly leaving his father's side, while Wooyoung tried to manage his father's company and keep up with his studies from home. On the outside, it seemed like he was holding it together, but on the inside, he was exhausted. The weight of everything—the pressure, the endless walls trapping him—hurt. What he wanted more than anything was someone to comfort him, to tell him everything would be okay. But who did he have?

His mother was on the verge of breaking, seeing her husband lying in a coma. His friends, well, he still texted them from time to time, but there was a feeling that restricted him from reaching out too much. He didn't want to be a burden. He didn't want to ask for help and make them feel like they had to carry him. So, he depended on himself—no one else.

His friends noticed the changes in him, but they were too scared to intervene, hoping Wooyoung would return to his old self eventually.

San, especially, was the most worried. He constantly thought of ways to comfort Wooyoung. But every time he tried, Wooyoung's replies were short and distant, as though he had built a wall around himself that no one could get through. San wanted to be there for him. He understood, more than anyone, what it was like to go through such pain. He just wished Wooyoung would be okay—and maybe, just maybe, they could talk about their feelings someday.

It was around 2 a.m. when Wooyoung got the call from his mother. Her sobs, the frantic words she couldn't quite get out, sent a chill through him. His mind went blank. Without thinking, he dropped everything and rushed to his car, tears streaming down his face, matching the rain pouring outside. His thoughts were a blur. He didn't know how he managed to get to the hospital, but when he arrived, he found his mother crying, waiting for the red light to turn off.

He tried to comfort her, putting on a brave face, but inside, he was dying. His mother's tears cut him deep, and the reality of his father's condition made his chest tighten.

The longest hours of his life passed before the light finally turned off. The doctors began to emerge, and Wooyoung's heart raced as he waited for the main doctor. The words the doctor spoke were slow and painful, and when Wooyoung heard them, he collapsed to his knees, clutching his mother as they both wept. It felt like the world was falling apart.

Wooyoung was back in Korea, preparing to bury his father. The reporters outside the funeral home were relentless, shamelessly asking about his father's death and demanding every last detail. The anger boiled inside him. He couldn't even lay his father to rest in peace without strangers prying into his private life.

His friends came to offer their condolences, but Wooyoung didn't want their pity. He didn't want anyone looking at him with those apologetic, sympathetic eyes. He wanted to be left alone.

He regretted not being able to show his father how much he loved him. He regretted the times he acted out, the things he never said. Now, it was too late.

There was a knock on the door. Wooyoung didn't respond, too consumed by his emotions to care.

"Hey, Woo..." a familiar, warm voice called out from the door. Wooyoung looked up to see San standing there.

"I—I'm sorry," San said, his voice gentle but full of care. "I can't fix everything, I can't make everything right, but just know I'm always here for you."

The moment the words left San's mouth, Wooyoung broke down. He collapsed into San's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I couldn't say what I wanted to him. What if he died thinking I didn't love him? That I was ungrateful? What am I supposed to do now? I can't even talk to Mom... She's suffering so much more than I am!" Wooyoung cried, his voice barely intelligible as he buried his face in San's neck.

San didn't try to say anything that would make it better. He just let Wooyoung cry, holding him close until they were called for the next part of the ceremony.

The funeral came to an end. As people began to leave, many faces were unfamiliar to Wooyoung, but he had to endure it. He was so tired, so drained. What he wanted more than anything was someone to comfort him, to tell him it would be okay. He searched the crowd for San. When he finally spotted him, it only made his heart ache more.

There he was, with a girl Wooyoung recognized as Karina—the daughter of a rival company owner. San was facing away from Wooyoung, so he couldn't see his expression, but from the way Karina leaned in and whispered something to him, it seemed like they were having a good time. Then, she kissed him on the lips.

Wooyoung couldn't bear to watch any longer. He turned and ran toward his car, tears streaming down his face. He was angry, hurt, confused. He thought there was something between him and San, something real. But now, watching San with Karina... maybe he had been wrong.

When Wooyoung arrived home, he poured himself a drink and let himself fall apart. He didn't even realize how much he was crying, how much his life had become a mess. How had everything turned out like this?

He wasn't alone, though. As he sobbed in his room, he didn't realize his mother was standing just outside. She heard his cries, and it broke her heart. She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't feel she had the right to. She had been absent for most of his life, leaving him to shoulder everything on his own.

Just as she was about to leave, Wooyoung came out of his room and saw her standing there. Without saying a word, he rushed into her arms, holding her tightly.

"I love you, Mom," he whispered, and together, they cried, their grief silent but understood. In that moment, they both knew their feelings without needing to speak them aloud.

_________________________________________

EDITED ✅